Am I More Vulnerable to Noise Related Damage Now?

After having Noise Induced Hearing Loss I've been having terrible anxiety. I've been good at calming it as of late but sometimes it's hard. I irrationally think my hearing is getting worse (it actually feels like it is too) even when I'm not exposed to loud noise or when my tinnitus acts up. Am I more vulnerable to more noise related damage now? Since my ears are damaged.

Sometimes it just feels like everything is getting worse. Then it scares me. Then my anxiety goes through the roof.

I can live with my tinnitus. I've always had slight ringing in my ears (now it's just a little louder).

 

Hi @Taylorslay ,

I would recommend asking a doctor. My, untrained opinion is that if your ears are damaged they are probably more susceptible to additional damage. But, I am not a doctor and I do not know the exact damage your ears have suffered.

 

I know a lot of people here that got sudden hearing loss many years ago and since then their hearing loss did not get worse, so I do not think hearing loss gets worse just because your hearing is already damaged.

 

Just protect from excessive noise, carry earplugs on your bag or pockets every day.

You have to use common sense as to which situation are loud. Nightclubs, IMAX cinemas, public transportation, etc.

Vulnerability depends on the amount of damage. That, as another user already said, you should check with your ENT, there are test for that.

Don’t think of protection as an annoying thing to do, think of it as a future investment, for you to keep your hearing safe till old. . You have every chance being that young. Take care.

 

Absolutely! This forum contains countless horror stories that prove this. I also learned that now that our ears have been compromised, we are a lot more vulnerable.

About four months after my acoustic trauma, I accidentally pressed an old landline phone (its volume stuck at maximum) to my bad ear. That was enough to change the sound of my T from a hiss to a high pitch tone (that was a lot harder to ignore). I have been ever since. I believe my T would have faded by now, if not for that second acoustic trauma as a result of a loud sound that a healthy person would probably not even notice.

 

definitely, once you have tinnitus, you must never allow yourself to be exposed to excess noise. this is extremely hard to do, because the world is full on noise pollution.

i thought my tinnitus was bad, but after i got dental crown work, it just went through the roof, and i've never been the same since. i had previous crowns done, so i didn't think it would be a problem, but it ended up being a problem from hell.

 

I meant to write "It has been a high pitch tone ever since."

 

Just to clarify. It depends on your cause, but you’re technically not more at risk than others - we all get worse hearing and hearing loss as we age and many people have bad hearing loss anyway; just not tinnitus.

All people should protect their hearing, the reason you want to be careful is that further hearing loss could (not always) acerbate your tinnitus If in doubt, wear plugs.

 

I want to up this thread to get more insights from experiences T-suffers.
Side-note: the experienced T people are probably here for a reason, does not mean we all would get worse.